Sorry in advance for this poor filler, but I wanted to at least give you something. BUT just a FYI I am changing my username at the end of the month to Lt-Spork. So be prepared for that!
Translating an old text while having an army of men who followed an undead three thousand something year old mummy sounded like an insane fiction plot, yet at the same time Nerissa wondered if she could put that on future résumés for digs. It showed that she was great under serious pressure right? It was absurd that she even had to wonder about things like that but as of recently that was her life.
"Evy, please tell me you are almost done translating! There is an army of minions with nasty boils and they are coming straight for us!" Nerissa screamed at her friend who just told her to hush and that patience was a virtue. Nerissa was too distracted by the mob coming towards them to respond so it was Rick that spoke up.
"Not right now it isn't!" Not a minute later Evy let out an excited shout saying she had found the location of the Book of the Living, the book as of recent was just a treasure hunter's dream and an adventurer like Nerissa a childhood bedtime story.
"Alright let's get out of here so you can live to rub it in the scholar's faces that you found what they never could!" Nerissa said as she dragged Evy towards the car that Jonathan had brought around for them. She had never been so glad to see a damn car before as she ran towards the passenger seat and jumped in giving her friend a kiss on the cheek.
"I so love you right now Jon! Now let's get the hell out of here and find that damn book!" She screamed as Jonathan sped off once everyone had jumped in the car. After what seemed like endless sharp turns trying to get away from the men they had come across a blockade of men normally it was instinct to stop but Nerissa was fueled by adrenaline and slammed her foot on Jonathan's making him yelp in surprise as he plowed over the men in the way. However she felt bad that somewhere in the rush to escape they had lost Daniels, though a small part of her was glad it wasn't Henderson or one of her friends. It was the sight of Beni that made her mad out of all that she had just been through, once again he had betrayed them and she would never forget that.
It was the sight of Imhotep though that terrified her. He was fully regenerated and had a look on his face that made her skin crawl. He turned to her with a look of pure hate that made her feel as if he were about to tear her to shreds with a flick of his wrist, then again with the powers he had before he was fully regenerated she didn't put it past him. She couldn't help but question what sort of power he had now, did he obtain more supernatural powers than before?
"Layla, I swore my revenge. You will regret ever taking Anck-Su-Namunfrom me. But that will have to wait a little longer. I think she would prefer to kill you more than I. You had the Pharaoh paint her. And it was you who told the Pharaoh about her." She couldn't do more than blink in shock, the fact that he kept calling her Layla and the fact that she couldn't help but want to answer as if she were still Layla. Which is exactly what she found herself doing. The words seemed to spill out of her mouth and she couldn't help but wonder if perhaps Layla was truly inside of her, she couldn't help but wonder if she were simply a vessel for the former High Priestess.
"It was you who caused her death. You should have just left her alone. She was never yours Imhotep. You brought the curse upon yourself." She spat in ancient Egyptian a language that she never really spoke before. Sure she knew it but she never actually spoke it aloud before that moment. It shocked her that she could speak it so fluently without any thought about it, and apparently it shocked everyone else. It was only Evy who actually understood. Jonathan, while he knew some Egyptian couldn't exactly speak it. She glared at Imhotep as he ordered Beni to grab Evy much to Rick's displeasure. She bit back a snarl when Imhotep threaten to kill them all if Evy didn't go with him, she realized that he really did intend to use Evy in the sacrifice to bring back Anuk-Su-Namun. She began to form a plan in her head as to how they would save Evy from becoming a sacrifice as she began to form a plan in her head she could almost hear a voice in the back of her mind. One that encouraged her to find the Book of the Living, to stop Imhotep from bringing back Anuk-Su-Namun. Bringing someone back from the dead wasn't natural. It always had a price and any ritual that required a human sacrifice was wrong, she couldn't let something like that tip the natural balance.
Find the book. Remember where it is. Stop him. He was stopped before. Call the Medjai they will stop him!
The voice in the back of her mind was practically screaming at her, it seemed to know how to stop Imhotep. She normally wouldn't listen to a crazy voice in her head but it seemed to know what to do in this already crazy situation. She grabbed onto Rick's sleeve and pulled him back far enough for him to look her in the eye as she shook her head.
"Live now. Get revenge later." She said, he looked like he was about to protest but she shook her head firmly. When Imhotep gave the order for them to be killed she turned to look at him with a glare. She saw that Henderson and Jonathan opened a sewage drain and pulled her towards them with one grunt of disgust she jumped into the dark hole with a splash. The smell was the most disgusting one she had ever had the misfortune of smelling. She stepped back as she saw another figure jump into the shallow water with a grunt, it was Henderson who was followed by Jonathan, Rick and Ardeth. She noticed that the curator wasn't with them but she could hear the sound of a sword being swung around before she heard a loud scream and the groans of the mindless slaves of Imhotep.
"I'm sorry about your friend." Nerissa said as she squinted to see Ardeth in the dark tunnels. He gave her a weak yet thankful smile.
It was Rick that decided to ask Wilson for help. She wasn't a fan of the man for he always drank away his life. Not to mention he always gave her looks that made her uncomfortable and often liked to tell her that she was not supposed to do a man's job. But he was a friend of Rick, so she had to remain civil.
"You guys ride with Winston, I'll fly the second plane. I do know how to fly a plane Rick." She said but surprisingly he told her he didn't want her to fly. When she was about to complain he spoke up.
"Not that I don't question your skill Riss, I rather have you man the guns. You are a better aim. Henderson do you know how to fly?" He asked, Henderson nodded before speaking up.
"Of course, we have an old crop duster on the family ranch. Learned to fly it as a kid." Nerissa couldn't help but smirk the thought of Henderson on a ranch made her want to laugh he didn't seem like the kind to work on a farm which could explain why he ran off on an Egyptian adventure.
While flying Nerissa couldn't help but feel at ease, as long as she didn't look down that is. She wore a pair of pilot's goggles and she had tied a bandana in her hair to keep it from getting in her face.
They had only been in the air for about ten minutes when they saw a huge dust storm something told her right away that it was far from natural. She was proven right when she saw two people thrown from the storm and it slowly disappeared and in its place was Imhotep. It seemed he had spotted them like they had him and with a dramatic raise of his hands and a deep growl a large wall of sand rose towards the sky. She let out a yelp when she saw his face in the sand as it grew closer to the two planes. She let out a gasp as she saw the other plane get sucked into the sand wall before crashing to the ground but before she could say anything her own plane was spiraling towards the sandy dunes.
With a giant boom sound the plane buried itself in the sand, somewhere in the chaotic decent Henderson had managed to jump out of his seat and miraculously landed safely a few feet away. Nerissa groaned in pain she had gotten whiplash and hit her collar-bone hard enough where she wouldn't be surprised if it broke even just a little. Henderson ran towards her and carefully checked her for any serious injuries, she could see that to her left Rick checked on Winston who had been killed in the crash. She may not have exactly liked the man but she still felt sorry that he had died.
"Everyone else alright?" Henderson asked as he looked around, Nerissa jumped when she felt the sand shift and the planes began to sink into the grounds. The desert had a way of claiming things so she knew there wasn't anything they could really do.
When they finally made it to Hamunaptra Nerissa felt a mixture of dread and the urge to find the book. She felt as if she weren't in control of her body as she immediately made her way towards one of the entrances to the underground maze.
Find the book. Remember where it is.
She found herself weaving through the halls and before her eyes the walls were returning to their former glory. She heard footsteps behind her and looked over her shoulder briefly but instead of seeing her companions she saw the ancient Medjai. She stopped in front of the statue base and looked at the statue. She saw her own hands place the book in the base of the statue. One of the Medjai behind her sets up the trap. So when she sees Rick attempting to open it she grabs his arm firmly and shakes her head. She turns and sees the Medjai placing jeweled scarabs on the wall and finds herself raising her hand while saying an enchantment of some sorts.
A curse, for those who come for the treasures of the dead. To stop them from coming any closer to him. He must not be woken.
"Rissa? What the hell are you doing?" Rick asked as he gently pulled his arm from her grasp. He moved in front of her and waved his hand as if it would stop whatever she was doing. She spun around when she heard a scream and saw one of the scarabs was inside of Jonathan's arm. It's Rick that gets it out and fires at it with his pistol. But the bang of the gun she knew would draw attention. As if on cue reanimated mummies of the priests come towards them. Nerissa lets out a grunt of pain as memories flood her mind.
The priests are screaming as she orders them to be mummified alive as punishment. They had gone against the moral codes and they had helped the man who murdered her love. She made her way to Imhotep who was a mix of furious and terrified. She didn't bat an eye as he sent her a glare.
"I could have brought him back! Let me go and bring Anck-Su-Namun back and I will bring your precious Medjai back!" He snarled yet she could sense the desperate tone in his voice. If he only knew how much Anck-Su-Namun had manipulated him.
"The price of your crimes, not only did you have my love executed for crimes he did not commit but you took the wife to be of the pharaoh and the two of you murdered the pharaoh and I don't know if you know this but you are the reason Princess Nefertirifell. The shock of her father's murder caused her fall. And then you steal a body to resurrect. Your crime will not go unpunished. For you Imhotep you will suffer the greatest of curses. The Hom Dai, you will suffer for an eternity for your crimes." She said as she not once broke eye contact. At her command the Medjai dragged the man towards a sarcophagus. Imhotep began to resist and when they cut his tongue tears began to fall from his eyes. His muffled screams began to grow louder when the scarabs were poured onto his body and the faint sound of him clawing at the lid of his sarcophagus could be heard as they locked it.
"Wenamun, you and your descendants are tasked with ensuring he never awakens." She said to one of the Medjai before she turned to leave.
Nerissa let out a scream as the visions, no the memories of her past life ended. It was because of her past life that all this was happening and she felt powerless to stop it. What could she possibly do against an army of undead?
FIGHT! USE A WEAPON! AMUN TAUGHT YOU HOW!
She grabbed a sword that she saw on an, alter and swung it like a baseball bat. It hit the mummified priest who let out an inhuman shriek. She didn't feel comfortable with a sword and frantically looked around and saw a bow leaning against a statue. She ran towards it and slid under the legs of another mummy. She couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at that move because she knew the chances of ever doing something that amazing again were very slim. Grabbing the bow she aimed an arrow at another mummy and shot it through the neck. The shriek it gave caught Henderson's attention as he spun around in time to strike it down. He gave her a quick smile and nod as he moved onto the next target. As if it were a rehearsed dance routine Nerissa and Henderson fought the mummies as a team. She felt a sense of familiarity at their synchronized movements.
It is just like Amun, his new incarnation has his skill in battle. Oh how I have missed this!
She was beginning to be unfazed by the voice in her head. It was something that before her discovery of her past life that would have made her crazy. But after what she had recently seen she was willing to let it go.
The sound of marching caught Nerissa's attention and made her look over her shoulder the sight of even more undead mummies made her want to scream. She was getting rather sick of Egypt and mummies and was just about to vow never to return. She ran towards Jonathan when she saw Imhotep following him as if he were his prey which in a way he was.
"JONATHAN!" She screamed as she swung the bow she still had in her grasp, she had long run out of arrows but the bow was still of use if she swung it. Imhotep spun around with a snarl as he grabbed Nerissa by the throat.
"LAYLA! I will end you, you will pay for what you've done! And your interference will end!" He spat as she began to struggle, her nails clawed at his arms but he didn't even seem faze him as he just tightened his grip around her throat. Rick was making his way towards her but was stopped by the Medjai who were under Imhotep's control, she let out a squeak as she attempted to tell Jonathan to hurry up with the inscription. When he managed to finish the inscription the guards froze in their actions and Imhotep loosened his grip slightly. Jonathan had managed to finish the inscription on the cover of the book and the Medjai that were just about to stab Rick and Henderson froze. Imhotep let out a growl as he threw Nerissa against a wall before making his way towards Jonathan. Her vision became blurry and she could barely hear what the others were shouting, but she managed to hear Jonathan order the guards to attack Anuk-Su-Namun. Nerissa hadn't even realized that the woman had been brought back to the land of the living and when she tried to make her way towards Jonathan she heard a bone chilling screech. She spun a little too quickly before seeing a shadow of a woman being stabbed by the Medjai. Imhotep tried running towards the woman but Nerissa pulled out her forgotten pistol and fired a shot, she knew it would do no harm but it was just a way to get his attention, not to mention it was therapeutic. She saw Evy run towards her brother and grab the book and hastily read another inscription in the book. Nerissa's head hurt too much to think of how she managed to open the book but she didn't complain as Imhotep stalked towards her as if he were a feral beast and she were his prey. She desperately tried to keep from fainting, but her head was spinning. She brushed the back of her head and felt the sticky feeling of blood the bastard had managed to crack her head open, she knew it wasn't exactly fatal but it was bleeding like crazy like head wounds always did.
With another loud shrill and the sounds of hoof beats a dark and spectral version of a chariot came speeding towards her and Imhotep. Out of reflex she tried to shield herself from the chariot that sped past her and appeared to rip a spectral version of Imhotep from him. The man ran after the chariot screaming and that was the last thing Nerissa saw before she blacked out.
With a groan Nerissa tried to open her eyes, but even with them closed the light was too bright. She felt as of her head were about to explode. She felt worse than ever before and that was saying something from some of the hangovers she had, had in the past. She tried to sit up but felt as if she were about to fall. Strong arms grabbed tighter onto her hips pulling her closer to the chest of the person behind her.
"Easy there darlin'. Don't want to hurt yourself anymore." The soothing voice behind her made her want to open her eyes even more, so with a loud groan she managed to open her eyes. Looking up she saw Henderson giving her a genuine smile as he looked down at her.
"My head…dead god it hurts…did we kick his ass? Did we save the…ow…the world?" She said as she closed her eyes again, the sun was too damn bright.
"O'Connell got him. Stabbed the bastard and that did the trick." He said as he pulled her a little closer as if to cradle her. Normally she would punch someone for treating her so delicately but with her head throbbing she had no energy. "And oh he and your friend Evy arekind of a thing now." He said with a chuckle, she gave a weak smile and waved her hand in the air.
"So called it. Jonathan owes me $400, I told him I could find Evy a guy that could put up with her." She heard towards her left her friend attempt to protest but she just waved him off and told him she was going to rest until her head stopped throbbing.
This story is far from over, however I may put it on a bit of a hiatus. I will need time to work out what I plan to do next as well as re-watch the sequels. In the meantime please feel free to check out my other stories.